I Hate You
by elena00dgmpkm
Summary: A summer love with Gill had left Akari heartbroken and after picking up the pieces and moving on...sorta, what happens when she moves to a new town to start a ranch and finds out that the mayors only son is indeed Gill himself? GillxAkari
1. My Bleeding Heart

**Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility! :D First fic for Harvest Moon but loved almost all the games and I'm very excited about this. I like it so far. Honestly I just sat down and it was raining outside and I got this scene in my head and was just like, hmm, I should write this down. So yeah. Here it is. Hope you like it. :3**

I Hate You

Chapter 1: My Bleeding Heart

Standing there in the rain. I was drenched but that was the last thing on my mind. I didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore. What was the point?

Broken. Alone. And stuck wondering which were rain drops on my face and which were tears. I stood staring out ahead of me. The road wasn't empty. No of course not. He was there. Standing before me, although his back was to me yet again.

"So is this it?" I screamed over the thunder booming through the sky. "Your leaving?"

He didn't answer me. But I could see him tense at my words. I hope I hurt him. That was all I could think. I hope I'm hurting him so he'd feel at least one tenth of the pain he was putting me through.

I took a step forward, towards him. I don't know why but some irrational part of me thought he'd actually comfort me. He just turned around with a hateful look in his eyes and put a hand up.

"Stay away from me." He said angrily.

My breath caught. How could say that? How could he say that to me? The only thing I could choke out to him was three little words.

"Who are you?"

His eyes widened. He was speechless again. He turned his head towards the road ahead of him and slowly began to walk away.

I followed him. I had to. My feet were pulling me closer whether I wanted them to or not. A sob escaped my chest and again he stopped walking. I thought he was going to say something. I wanted him to say something. I wanted him to say he was kidding. I wanted him to say he was wrong. I wanted him to say he was staying.

I wanted him to just tell me everything was going to be okay.

But he just ran. He started and never stopped. He never even looked back. And this time my feet just wouldn't follow him. I watched him go and even after he was gone I stared after him. The cloudy sky let out little light but soon the lonely dirt road dimmed as the sun set and before I knew it, it was nightfall.

But still I stood. Even after an hour, I still thought he was somehow going come back.

I realized suddenly that I was sitting on the ground. I wasn't quite sure when my legs had refused to hold me up anymore but there I was. Sitting in the middle of a road in the cold rain all alone.

That's when the sobs began and at the time I didn't know that they weren't going to stop. At the time I didn't know how long it was going to take. At the time I just wanted everything to be simple again.

I wanted to go home but I had to ask myself first, where was home? Was it that empty house that my mother sometimes slept in? Did I truly belong there? Maybe that's what that house had always been trying to tell me.

I was damned to be alone. Deal with it.

***

My name is Akari and today I was finally setting out on my own. It was a choice I had decided upon long ago. A choice that up until now hadn't really had any plans behind it. I was going away. I needed to leave the city. I had been there too long. I had been running away for too long.

I'd been living in the city for the past year. I lived in a small town before then. I actually lived on a ranch if you could call it that. It was just me and my mom. My dad died when I was ten years old. This left my mom heartbroken for years. She was never home much and she never took care of the farm. We didn't have any crops or any livestock so I suggested to my mom that we leave. I told her we should go to the city. New faces, better surroundings. I was old enough to go by myself but even though my mother hadn't really been there for me through the tough times, I still loved her and thought it'd be healthier for her to come with me rather then stay at the town bar all day and night.

The year had been a rough time for me but things were a bit better now. My heart had been broken, part of the reason I wanted to move to the city, so I could get away from it all. My heart had gathered all it's pieces back but it wasn't exactly put back together yet. Only time could help heal those wounds, as I'd been hearing for awhile from just about anyone who heard I was a little down.

So I was finally leaving the city after a tough year because the city just wasn't for me. It was a nice change of pace but I would always be a small town girl.

So I was going to a small place called Waffle Island. I know, it's a weird name and I myself wondered a few times why it was called that.

They have this ranch though that's open to anyone to claim since it's so small and no one new comes around for awhile. So off I was. I was going to start a ranch but really make something of it. It was going to be great someday. I just knew it.

I couldn't wait to meet some new people too and although I was no where near ready to date anyone, some friends could be nice.

I said goodbye to my mother because I knew this trip was best made alone and plus she had been doing better in the city. She had actually gotten a job and she'd been sober for a few months now. She even met a nice guy. He loves her, I can just tell and she's crazy about him. And he's really nice to me too. We all get along great. But even so I knew it was time to go out on my own and get over the past. My mom might have gotten better but there were still demons I had to stare down on my own.

I got on the boat at the harbor and met Captain Pascal. He's a nice guy. Loves the sea and was very excited to hear I'd be moving to Waffle Town.

Hmm, did I mention I get sea sick? Oh maybe that was because at the time I had no idea myself. Let's just say it was not the fondest boat trip I ever had.

I pasted out before we got there and I don't remember getting off the boat at all. All I know is that I woke up in the Clinic later that day.

"Where am I?" A question I had partly asked myself before realizing there was in fact someone else in the room. It was the doctor who has just entered surprisingly.

"Your at the clinic. You passed out on the boat." He answered my question.

I nodded and looked over at him. He was young for a doctor, probably around my age. He had long black hair that he had up in a ponytail. He had glasses and a white doctor's coat on over some traditional looking Chinese clothing maybe? They could be Japanese. I wasn't really good with my cultures. It was a green shirt though and black pants.

My head was still a bit foggy but I sat up anyway. I was suppose to be meeting the Mayor as soon as I got to town.

"I need to meet the mayor." I told him.

"He knows you're here. He wanted to let you rest." He told me. "Oh and by the way, I'm Jin. I'm the doctor here on Waffle Island."

I nodded. I could've guessed he was a doctor but the way he had said it sounded odd. He was _the_ doctor? As in the only one? I suppose I'd been living in the city for too long but even in my home town I could remember at least two or three doctors at the town's clinic.

I realized I should introduce myself so I smiled at him warmly, that forced nice-to-meet-you kinda smile and said: "I'm Akari."

He smiled back at me. "I'll just leave you to rest." I nodded and he left the room.

I stood up and crossed the room. There was a mirror on the wall and I stopped to look at myself. I was a mess, that was for sure.

My short brown hair was tangled and a little damp from a cold sweat. My brown eyes looked tired but that might have just been because I just woke up.

I looked around my bed and found my rucksack that I had brought with me. I took out my brush and ran it through my hair until it looked a little better. Well beside that one cowlick that I could never seem to tame with a brush.

I straightened out my green top and clipped my bag to my waist. My denim shorts were a little longer then my shirt and my boots were under the bed. I put on my brown hiking boots quickly and opened the door to find an older women about to come in just as I opened the door.

"Oh! Your up. I-I thought you'd like some tea. My name is Irene, I'm Jin's grandmother and I work here at the clinic with him." She told me.

I smiled. "I'm Akari! It's nice to meet you but I think I'm feeling better. I really think some fresh air would do me good. Thanks for everything though!" I said as she allowed me to walk around her and down the stairs. "Bye!" She called to me as I walked out the door.

It was a sunny spring day and the air felt great. I could smell flowers even though I was in the middle of town! In the city you just smelt metal, construction, and if you were lucky enough, sewer pipes.

I walked towards the beach even though I was suppose to go to town hall. I hadn't been able to help myself. I hadn't been on a beach in so long. I walked through the sand and even thought about taking off my shoes. But then I looked at my watch and realized that it was 1 o'clock and I should really get to Town Hall.

It wasn't too hard to find and there were plenty of nice people to help me find the place. In the city you ask for directions and most people ignore you. I almost forgot how friendly people were in small towns.

I walked into the town square and looked up only to be frozen to the spot. I couldn't move and I could feel all the pieces of my heart fall apart again.

I don't know how long I stood there staring at him but he must of felt my eyes burning holes into the back of his head because after a few moments he stopped pinning notices to the bulletin board and turned around.

And there we were. Face to face again. Me and him both wide eyed and unbelieving of what we were seeing before us.

Both of our faces showed shock but I couldn't help but suddenly frown. My shock was over and now I just wanted to know what he was doing here? This was my safe new place to start over. I almost felt like he shouldn't be allowed here.

"What are you doing here?" I asked a bit rudely. I couldn't help it. Not after the hell I'd been through. And it was all thanks to him. That's right. It was him. The very same one that left me with a shattered heart.

He then frowned too. But he didn't look angry like I know I did, but he looked sad. He opened his mouth to say something just as the doors of the town hall burst open.

An older man, a bit on the heavy side, dressed in blue formal wear ran out but stopped when he saw me standing there.

"You must be Akari! I'm Mayor Hamilton but please just call me Hamilton." He said running over and shaking my hand.

I nodded slowly still a bit shell shocked.

"How are you feeling? I know you passed out on the boat and everything. Oh and I see you've already met my son, Gill."

My eyes got wide at these words as I looked over Hamilton's head at Gill. There he was with his sweater vest and long plaid shorts, the same sense of style I always remembered him having. His light blond hair was shinning in the sunlight and I couldn't help but look at that cowlick that matched my own. And his crystal blue eyes that sometimes hide all emotion in an icy glare and sometimes showed the depths of everything inside of him.

God how I had loved those eyes.

Now they were filled with sadness. I didn't understand why in the world he would be the sad one. He wasn't the one who had been left alone. He wasn't the one who had been crushed. He wasn't the one who had cried themselves to sleep almost every night. He wasn't the one who had sometimes felt like she couldn't breath because of their tears.

She looked away from his eyes. She couldn't look at them anymore. She just couldn't.

"Y-You're the new rancher?" He asked surprised.

I nodded and the Mayor smiled. "Now don't be shy!" He laughed for a moment and I just frowned. "Well let me show you to your house then." He said with a smile.

I nodded again. My throat had closed. I couldn't speak. The Mayor started walking in the other direction and I followed him. I turned my head to look at Gill for just a moment before leaving. He put his hand up in a wave with somewhat of a hopeful smile. I turned and just walked away from him.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't handle seeing him. I had thought I had been over him. I thought it was finally over and I figured since I'd never see him I'd be fine but this was too much. And now I had to live in the same town as him?

We finally made it to my new house and stopped out front.

"Well here it is. It was just built and you should find it suiting. If there's anything you need please feel free to ask me, or Gill can answer any questions as well so be sure to ask." He smiled, waved, and then left.

I stood on the door step a moment just looking out at the Caramel River District that was now my home. I ran into my house after a moment and sat on my new bed. That was when the tears began and didn't want to stop.

**Review please! Don't know how good this is since this idea itself kinda came out of no where so sorry if it stinks. xD**


	2. Questions and Answers

**I'm sorry! I know it's been awhile but I've been so busy and I feel bad. I don't want you thinking I just gave up on the story after one chapter. XD**

**Oh and by the way I like to answer to my reviews here so uh, I'll just go ahead and do that.**

**Ninja-lemondrop15 - Thanks! I know Gill is kinda mean and his emotions might seem weird for now but they'll make sense eventually.**

**Shimmerleaf - Thanks! I'm glad you like it. :D**

**KoolKat14 - Thank you! Sorry it took so long to update but here I am. Finally. XD**

**shade073 - Yay! Thank yah! :D**

**Ravenclaw53 - I'm glad you like it! Sorry if it seemed like I wasn't keeping it up since it took so long. D:**

**sprite21 - lmao. A bit brutal, yes. But thanks! I can't wait to see where it goes either cause even I don't know at this point. XD**

**Shiho-chan - Thanks! :D I'm glad you like it! Plenty of questions indeed. None of which I'll be answering. XD The story will have to do that it's self. :P**

**Kinnetik Ishisu - Wave no longer! Cause here I am! Your blue flag really got me to finally take some time and sit down to write this so thank you!! :DDD**

I Hate You

Chapter 2: Questions and Answers

I woke up early. Earlier then I think I had in a while. I needed to start work on the farm as quickly as possible if I wanted anything done. So I went to my tool box and got out my hoe before going outside. The soil wasn't too fertile but maybe I could get some fertilizer when I got a little more money and fix it up a bit. By midday I decided I should buy some seeds to plant.

So I set out to find the Ganache Mine District. I had a bit of trouble finding my way to the place though. I took the first path out of the Caramel River District and ended up in some syrup place. Maybe it was the Maple something district? I can't keep count of all these food named places. But there was a lake there and the whole place was actually pretty peaceful. There were houses but not many people at this time of day it seemed.

Until I spotted one girl out there. She had long black hair and beautiful rose colored eyes. I'd never seen eyes like that before. She looked almost exotic, perhaps she was Asian, and she was wearing a dress that looked good for work wear.

I walked up to her to hopefully ask for directions. She smiled as I approached her. "You must be the new farmer." She said sweetly. I smiled back.

"Yeah. I'm Akari." I said holding out a hand to her.

"Anissa." She said taking my hand and shaking it gently.

"I was wondering if maybe you could point me out to the Ganache Mine District?" I asked her and she smiled.

"Actually I was just heading there myself. Come on."

I followed her up the path around the lake and into the Ganache Mine District.

"Wow. I was that close to it?" I asked out loud. Needless to say I felt a little dumb. She just laughed though.

"It's ok. With all the different paths this place can get pretty confusing." I shrugged and looked around.

"Well I should get home so I'll see you later." Anissa said to me and I smiled and waved as she walked off. I went the opposite way on the path and read all the signs outside the doors. Blacksmith. Carpenter. Not a Farm to be found. I sighed.

"Watch out!!!!" I heard someone yell and I looked over just in time to see a piece of wood flying my way. Suddenly I was shoved to the ground roughly and the wood flew overhead.

Someone got off of me and I slowly stood up a bit disorientated.

"Are you ok??" I blinked my eyes and looked over at the boy next to me. He was tall and had red hair. He was also rather buff.

I nodding slowly. "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry!" A boy ran over with silvery hair and a fiery bandana on. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a red vest over it.

"You're an idiot Luke. Don't just fling wood around! You have to be more careful. You nearly took this girl's head off." The buff one yelled.

Luke looked over at me and frowned. "I-I'm really sorry."

I smiled. "It's fine you two. I haven't had an adrenaline rush like that in awhile." I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

The redhead smiled and Luke laughed.

"I'm Owen." The redhead told her.

"And I'm Luke if you hadn't guessed already."

"I'm Akari." I said with a smile.

I sighed. I hated asking for directions. "Do you guys know where Souffle Farm?"

They smiled and pointed behind me.

I turned around and right past the blacksmiths was another building that I hadn't even seen because it was the opposite direction on the path. I sighed. Yet again I looked like an idiot.

"I guess I missed it…"

Luke laughed. "By a long shot. You didn't bother to look the other way?" He teased me.

I jokingly glared at him. "All I saw was a piece of wood aimed at my face."

He began to laugh even more. "I like your sense of humor!"

I smiled and realized I was fitting in here nicely. The people were so nice. Anissa was sweet, Luke was funny, Owen was protective, Jin was shy, Irene was caring, the Mayor seemed a bit quirky but nice…and then were was Gill. I hadn't seen him today and I was scared of when I would…

"Why the long face!" Luke yelled.

I smiled. "What long face?"

"The one you just had." Owen answered for him.

"I'm fine. Really. I should get going. Need to buy some seeds."

Owen smiled. "Good luck."

Luke turned towards the end of the path behind them. It was cut off by a large branch or vine of some sort.

"If you want I can cut that away for you. It should make things easier. You can just go from the Caramel River District to here without going through the Maple Lake District." He said with a smile.

I didn't really know what he was talking about since I was pretty confused how I had gotten there. I had a map but I'm just horrible with direction. I took his word for it being easier though. "Thanks! When you finish just tell me." He smiled and nodded.

"I should get going but it was great meeting you! See you around!" I yelled before walking off towards Souffle Farm. I opened the door of the shop and stepped inside. I walked over to the counter and saw an older women with short brown hair and light eyes. She smiled sweetly and I could've sworn she looked familiar.

"Hello, my name is Ruth. You must be Akari."

I laughed. "Word travels fast, huh?"

She smiled. "In this town is does. So what can I do for you?"

I looked over the list of seasonal crops and picked out as many spring crops as I could afford.

As I put the seeds into my rucksack a man came in. He was frowning and had short light brown hair with dark eyes. He was wearing an orange hat and he didn't seem to realize I existed.

"Where is Taylor?!" He yelled. I stepped back a bit. Ruth sighed.

"He went out to play. He's just a kid, Craig."

"But I needed his help! I understand he's a kid but he still needs to do his chores! Why is it that our daughter did everything we always asked but our son doesn't?"

"Because they're two different people. Taylor just wants to have fun." Ruth tried to explain but Craig still seemed a bit angry.

Ruth suddenly remembered my existence and looked over at me. "I'm sorry. This is my husband Craig." Craig grunted in my direction that I think may have been a hello and went outside. Ruth sighed.

"Hey Mom, where did Dad go?"

I looked to the door and was surprised to see that Anissa was standing there.

She looked over at me and smiled. "Oh, hi Akari."

"Your parents own Souffle Farm?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded.

I thought about how I had gotten lost after she had left me and I wished I had asked her where Souffle Farm was before she left.

"Do you want to take a walk with me Akari? I'm sure you'd like to get back to your farm to plant those seeds right? I'll come with you." She said with a smile.

"Ok." I was glad that it seemed I had already made a friend. I had a feeling we'd be close friends too. She was sweet and kind. I almost wished I could be like her.

We left the store saying goodbye to Ruth and walked along the path to the Maple Lake District. We didn't say much at first. It was only because we didn't really know each other too well yet but I didn't feel like it was too awkward or anything.

Suddenly she spoke and her question took me off guard.

"Have you ever been in love?" She asked me.

I stopped walking for a moment and she stopped with me. I looked down at the ground. This was one thing I hated to think about let alone talk about it. But it had been too long that I kept it to myself. It couldn't hurt to tell someone the story, could it?

"Once." I said silently.

She listened intently and nodded. "What happened? Did he love you back?"

What a strange question. A question I had never asked myself before. "I-I don't know." He had never said it, and the way he had left hadn't exactly pointed towards strong feelings for me but before then, had he loved me?

"So what happened? Tell me the story. Well, if you want to talk about it that is…"

I looked over at her, she was very interested, I could tell that.

"You want to get a bite to eat? I can tell you the story there."

She nodded and led the way. We went into town and stopped at a little café.

We sat down at a table and she looked at me intently. "So…?"

I laughed. "Someone's impatient."

Suddenly a girl ran over to the table with a pad in hand. She had short blond hair that was mostly down with pieces in braids. She had crystal blue eyes and a smile that didn't seem easily wiped away. She was wearing a pink waitress outfit and clearly played the part.

"Hi! I'm Maya! Ohhh, you must be the new rancher. Oh, hi Anissa! So what can I get for you?" She said all at once.

I was a bit dumbstruck by everything she said and how fast she said it but I realized we were introducing ourselves. "Oh, yeah, I'm Akari." I told her slowly, hoping she'd slow down too.

"Wow, that's a pretty name." She said sweetly. I smiled. She may be energetic but there was something about her cheery disposition that I couldn't help but like.

"I want the Pickled Eggplant, Maya!" Anissa told her. Maya smiled.

"Of course you do. And you Akari?"

I smiled. "You wouldn't happen to have some chocolate cake would you?"

Maya began to laugh. "Of course we do! The best around! Chase and Grandma are the best cooks ever!" She squealed. "That definitely would have been my choice." She smiled and looked at Anissa. "I like her."

I couldn't help but laugh as she skipped away from the table. She was definitely cheerful.

Now Anissa was looking at me again with a look of interest. "So you gonna tell me the story or not?" She asked.

"Yeah yeah. Just give me a second. Where do I start?"

"How'd you meet?" She asked, trying to help along the story.

"He had come to visit for the summer. His grandparents were my neighbors and we met outside one day…"

I could remember everything.

It was a hot day. Summers were always very hot there. I was in the garden in the front of my house. I thought if maybe I made a garden my mom would want to re-do the ranch and get into it again. The fields in the back would be full of vegetables and animals again. Then he came out of his grandparent's house and saw me outside.

"You need any help?"

I looked up and was suddenly caught by his eyes. I'd never seen eyes like that before. I wondered why he was helping me. He was frowning as if he didn't actually want to help.

"Do you want to help?" I asked.

"Not really."

_At least he's honest. _I thought.

"So why did you ask to help?" I asked, frustrated with this odd boy. He blushed and shrugged.

"I-I don't know. I'll just go then." And I watched him go back into his grandparents house in a hurry. I remember wondering to myself if he liked me. After that I couldn't stop thinking about him just like any teenager my age may have been.

Suddenly I was pulled back to the real world as food was pushed in front me.

"Here you go!" Maya yelled. I looked down at my cake and smiled. It really did look as good as Maya said it would.

Anissa was nodded in answer to my response.

"Thanks Maya!" She waited for Maya to go and then turned back to me. "Ok so then you guys fell in love?"

I frowned. "Not quite like that. I don't know if he ever loved me back. At first he was really shy but then he started to help me with my garden and we became friends. Soon we'd leave the garden and do other things together. I just remember the only thing I really did that summer was hang out with him. We spent every day together." I said with a fond smile.

Suddenly memories flashed by me. The day after we met he had come and decided to help with my garden. He ended up being a pain in the butt because he constantly just to told me what I was doing wrong. But after awhile he stopped and just worked with me. That was when we started talking more.

Suddenly one memory stuck out the most. We were taking a walk and we went into the woods. After awhile we found a pond and sat by it. Somehow the spot became _our_ spot because we started to go there a lot after that first day. I remembered that day clearly.

"Hey Akari?" He had said.

I looked over at him. "What is it Gill?"

"Do you…like someone?" He asked me. I blushed. The truth was, at the time I had started to have a huge crush on him.

"Maybe. What's it matter to you?"

"Oh, it doesn't really matter." He said sadly.

"Yes it does! What is it?" I asked. I was freaking out thinking that maybe he was going to say he liked me back. I was sixteen and like any girl I just wanted a boy to like me. It had never happened before.

"But he never said he did."

"Never said he did what?" Anissa asked.

I realized I had said that last bit out loud and laughed. "I guess I was just thinking out loud."

She smiled. "So you guys never told each other how you felt?" She asked.

I frowned. "Well, he never told me how he felt. And then he left and I never heard from him. He never called or wrote or anything. I still don't know why he left either…" I said quietly.

Anissa frowned. "That's so sad."

I nodded. "A little bit."

It had all gone downhill after that stupid night. And then a few days later he was leaving.

"I wonder what made him leave…" Anissa said aloud.

"I've been wondering for about a year but not once have I come up with the answer. I just know I did something stupid and then after that things were weird. And then he left." I told her.

She frowned. "What'd you do?"

"It's a long story but I-"

Suddenly the bells on the door jingled as someone came in. I turned around to see who it was and of course it was who I somehow knew it would be.

Maya ran inside and smiled. "Hey Gill! You want the usual?"

**Cliff hanger. :O The suspense is crazy! XD So you got some insight on a bit of what happened but not the whoooole story. :P Until next time my friends. I don't think this chapter is my best work ever but you know. I like intense chapters better. A lot of introductions really. :/ Oh well. Next one should be a bit more interesting. :D Review please and again sorry it took so long. D:**


	3. Once Upon a Night

**D: Again it took me forever to think about updating. What is wrong with me people? It's so very messed up. But at least I'm here again. :D**

**Now to answer my lovely reviews. :D**

**Shimmerleaf - xD It was a horribly placed cliffy wasn't it? And then to wait so long to update. I truly am a horrible person. **

**sprite21 - I'm sorry. T.T I've yet again taking forever to update that you may have forgotten all about this story. D: I apologize. Buuuut for that I will make this chapter as long as possible to make up for it. :D Yay compromise.**

**Caliwindftw - Thanks! :DDD**

**Ihearttenten - Updating! :D**

**Disclaimer - I don't own harvest moon. D:**

I Hate You

Chapter 3: Once Upon a Night

I looked to the door with wide eyes. He always managed to do this to me. I expected him to look over at me with that same face he had on the other day. The face that honestly broke my heart. But today he was apparently doing something new.

He glared at me.

He glared at me? How could he have the nerve to glare at me? I gave him a larger death glare just to be childish and stood up quickly.

I didn't know exactly what I was planning on doing. Anissa looked up at me in surprise.

"Akari…?"

I ran for the door.

Once I made it outside, I ran straight for the beach. I stood, looking out at the water. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to kill him. Why was he being so bipolar. What was he glaring at me for? He broke _my_ heart.

I looked out at where the sky met the water. The sun had already gone down, but there was still a gentle orange glow where it had been.

I heard foot steps behind me and knew who it was immediately. It was odd the way I could pick out his foot steps but for awhile I had always waited to hear them.

"So what, you hate me now?" I said quietly.

The silence following my statement was sickening. I stood up and turned towards him.

"I guess so." He said coldly.

My breathe held in my throat. I wasn't expecting that. "Why? What did _I_ do to _you?_" I screamed.

He looked down at the ground. "Why are you even here?"

I laughed. It seemed a bit odd but I laughed at the irony of it all. "To get away from you." I whispered.

He hadn't been there in the city, that was true, but he had been in my head. I was starting to realize though that it didn't seem to matter where I went. I never truly got away from him.

He froze a bit but then exhaled before turning around. "Just stay away from me." He said as if he hadn't heard my statement at all.

And then he walked away again.

I turned back to the water and ground my teeth together. I hated him. I hated him with every bone in my body. I hated him and more importantly, I hated myself for loving him.

I could feel the tears run down my face but I just stared straight at the waves before me. Before I knew it, the sunlight was completely gone and I was in the dark.

Someone taped my shoulder lightly.

"You're gonna catch a cold out here. The winter chill's still here at night."

I wiped my face with my hand lightly and turned towards the voice behind me.

A boy with curly light brown hair and amethyst eyes stood before me. He was wearing an apron and a shirt with rolled up sleeves. He had sandals on his feet and a light frown on his face.

"I'm fine." I said slowly.

"Why don't you get home? Anissa's been real worried about you." He commented.

I smacked my forehead. I had forgotten all about Anissa in the inn.

"It's alright. I told her I'd find you. And here you are. Just get home."

I nodded slowly and began to walk back towards the inn. If only I knew the path to the Caramel River District…

The boy followed behind me slowly and then chuckled lightly. "Do you know how to get home?"

I sighed and stopped walking. I put my hands over my face quickly. "No. I don't know how to get _anywhere. _I don't understand this place at all. I just- I just-"

"Wanna go home?" He finished silently.

I took my hands off my face and looked over at him. "No…not that…I don't think it's that." I said completely unsure. Did I want to go home? Maybe this was the wrong place to come. How could I deal with being so close to Gill? Especially now that he hated me. Maybe this was the wrong place for new beginnings considering I was only running into my past here.

The boy nodded. "Then what's got you so bent out of shape?"

I looked over at him as the tears built in my eyes. Then I burst into sobs, just like that. The boy seemed a bit panicked at first. His eyes were wide and I felt a bit sorry for him. I was so unstable and crying hysterically in front of a complete stranger. What had I become?

But once I started I just couldn't stop. They kept coming. It had been hard enough before when I just thought about being away from him. How did I know that being near him would cause him to just hurt me more.

"What did I do?" I sobbed out loud.

The boy looked around nervously. Probably wondering who the hell I was talking to.

I came to a stop when I thought about what I was doing. I closed my eyes tightly for a moment and then looked over at the boy.

"What's your name?" I asked him.

I'm pretty sure the poor guy was terrified of me at this point but he answered me none the less. "Chase."

I nodded. "The fact that you're not a complete stranger makes me feel a bit better."

He laughed, to my surprise. "Well anything to make you feel better. Why don't you get home and get some sleep. I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning. If you need to talk about it, I'll be at the inn." He told me then pointed down one path. "That's your path home." And with that he walked away.

* * *

I woke up with a start. Someone was knocking on my door. I sleepily got out of bed and opened the door.

"Woah, you're a mess." Luke commented.

I looked down at myself. I was still in the same clothes as yesterday and I'm pretty sure I had a severe case of bed head.

"Good morning to you too." I answered groggily.

Luke laughed and then pointed next to my house where I couldn't even see.

"Cleared that root away for you. Now you can get to the Ganache Mind District easily." He was way too peppy this early in the morning, that was for sure.

"Oh, uh thanks." I had no idea that path led to the same place we were yesterday. I was pretty close to it.

He smiled brightly at me. "No problem! Anything else you need, just let me know." I smiled.

"I'll be sure to."

With that he left my house and I went to the mirror to tame my hair. When it was as good as it was going to get, I threw on my boots and went outside. I looked at the hoed plots in the soil and began to plant seeds in each one. I made rows of six. Each crop had its own row. I watered them quickly and decided to take the new path to see Anissa. She had been pretty worried last night, according to Chase.

As I walked I thought of my nightmare from the night before. It were strange. I was standing in this odd chamber. The room was empty at first. But when I looked closer I saw someone on the floor. I ran to the body and turned it over, to find it was myself.

I was dead.

I jumped away from my dead body in fear. I couldn't understand what was going on. Suddenly Gill ran into the room, his clothes were covered in blood and he was crying. I realized that he wasn't hurt though. It was my blood.

My eyes widened and I ran to him. "What have you done?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "It wasn't my fault. He told me I had to. He told me if I didn't they would-"

He was cut off as he fell through the floor. I screamed out and woke up sweating. It was still late so I tried to go back to sleep. I didn't get back to sleep for some time but when I finally did, it was only to be woken up by Luke.

I sighed. I thought back to last night and realized I needed to see Chase. I felt bad unloading on him like that, even if I didn't really say anything.

I finally reached Souffle Farm and I ran inside. Ruth looked up from the counter and smiled at me.

"Don't tell me you need more seeds." She laughed lightly.

"No, no. I just wanted to know if Anissa was here."

"Oh you just missed her. She went to the Maple Lake District."

I frowned. I hoped I could find that. "Oh. Thanks Ruth!"

I ran out the door and pulled out my map. After a few moments of staring at it, I figured out that I was actually right next to the Maple Lake District. I looked down the path that Anissa had taken me through the day before and ran through it. That was when I saw her by the water. She was sitting on the grass under a large tree. She had her feet in the water and she was looking across the lake lazily.

"Anissa!" I yelled as I ran over to her.

She must have jumped ten feet in the air when she turned to look at me. "Akari! Uh, hi! Are you okay? I was really worried! Uh, where have you been? If you wondering what I'm doing though, it's nothing really. Just sitting here."

I looked at her without blinking. She was talking about as fast as Maya. "Okay…well I'm okay now. I'll tell you about the whole thing later but uh, what exactly are you doing here? I'm not putting you on trial or anything but your sweating up a storm."

Anissa sighed and looked across the lake again. I followed her eyes and saw Jin walking into town.

A knowing smile formed on my lips as I looked down at her. "You like Jin."

"Shhhhhhh! Don't say it out loud!"

"So it's true then."

She frowned. "I never said it was."

"You never said it wasn't." I pointed out.

She sighed and laid back on the grass. "Is it noticeable?"

I broke out into laughter. My poor love sick friend. "Just a bit." She sighed. "So is this why you were asking me about love yesterday?" I asked her.

She smiled sheepishly. "Perhaps."

"Well do you talk to him?" I asked her.

"Not really. Maybe a little."

"Well let's change that! I'm kind of friends with him! I'll just go ask him how he feels about you and-"

I tried to muffle out the rest of my sentence through Anissa's hand.

"No. Akari, promise me you will never tell him how I feel."

She let go of me and I struggled for air. "Okay, okay. You don't need to suffocate me."

She scratched the back of her head. "Sorry."

I just smiled and pulled at her arm. "Come on. We have to go see Chase. He had to come out and find me yesterday. I need to make it up to him." Anissa nodded and we walked to the inn.

We stepped inside and Maya ran over to us. "Oh Akari! Where have you been? You ran out so quickly! You didn't even finish your cake! I ate it because I didn't want it to go to waste of course."

I could only laugh at her. "I'm fine. And it's okay. From what I had of it, it was amazing. I'm glad someone got to enjoy it."

She smiled. "So, come here to eat again?"

I shook my head. "Actually I came to see Chase."

Maya looked at me with a bit of a blank expression and then snapped out of it. "Oh yeah, of course. Oh Chaaaase!" She yelled running to the kitchen. She ran to the kitchen door just as Chase opened it, falling flat on her butt.

"Maya! Are you okay?" Chase asked worriedly picking her up off the floor. Maya nodded slowly, rubbing her forehead.

Chase held Maya's arm and led her to a chair.

"I'm okay Chase."

Chase frowned and looked at her head worriedly. "I'm so sorry. I hadn't seen you there." He said quickly.

I laughed at how he couldn't let it go and he looked over at me. "Akari. You feeling better?"

I walked over to the table Maya was sitting at and Anissa followed me there.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

"What happened?" Maya asked curiously.

I sighed.

"Akari wasn't feeling well." Chase cut in.

I smiled. "I feel much better now though so don't worry about it."

Maya frowned. "It wasn't the cake was it?"

I laughed. "No Maya. Of course not."

She smiled brightly. "Good. Chase made it and I would've had to hit him with something for making you sick."

We laughed and I took a seat next to Maya. "How long are you guys gonna be working?"

Maya looked over at Chase. "Well I get off in a little while. What about you?"

Chase looked at the clock and smiled. "I get my lunch break in five minutes."

I smiled. "What do you guys think about eating lunch at my house?"

Anissa smiled. "That'd be great."

Chase stood up and began to walk towards the kitchen. "I'll make us some food and maybe we could have a picnic by the river."

"That sounds great." I said happily and in a few minutes we were packed up and heading towards the river. I ran into my house and grabbed a blanket to lay down on the grass. We all sat down and Chase unloaded the basket he had brought.

"You know, you never finished your story from yesterday." Anissa commented.

I looked over at her, my mouth stuffed with a cookie. I swallowed hard and looked at the ground.

"What story?" Maya asked.

"It's nothing really!" I yelled.

"Nothing? You had been telling me about that one time you fell in l-"

Anissa was cut off as I threw a cookie at her face.

"Hey!"

"Speaking of love, why don't we finish the conversation we were having earlier about J-"

Anissa tackled me and stuffed some watermelon in my mouth. "Uhh, these are stories for another time I guess, Akari."

I sat up and spit out the watermelon. I hated watermelon.

I looked over at Maya and Chase who were looking on in total confusion and began to laugh.

Anissa joined in which only caused them to be more confused. That is, until they started laughing as well.

"You guys are crazier then me!" Maya shouted. I had to laugh at that statement.

We ate the rest of our lunch in quiet conversation until Chase looked at his watch.

"I should get going. I only get a half hour break. But finish eating here. I can see your not done. Especially Maya." He laughed at Maya stuffed more of Chase's cooking in her mouth.

"I'll see you guys around."

"Bye Chase!" Maya called and we waved as he walked back to the inn.

I looked over at the two of them and Anissa smiled at me. "Can you tell me now?"

I sighed and looked at Maya. It couldn't hurt to tell her, could it? Was she good with secrets. It was true that she was loud but that didn't mean she couldn't keep a secret.

"I'll tell if you tell."

Maya looked at the two of us. "Will you two stop talking in riddles and explain what's going on?"

Anissa frowned but nodded. "Fine. Me and Akari were gonna talk about secrets that you have to promise to keep, okay? Can you keep a secret Maya?"

Maya smiled. "Of course I can! I may seem loud but I keep everyone's secrets!" She smiled.

I laughed. "Whatever you say Maya. It doesn't really matter anyway. They're not huge secrets."

"Mine is!" Anissa yelled.

I laughed and we began to explain things to Maya. Anissa admitted her love for Jin and I told her how I had fallen in love before.

"Wow. What happened on 'that night'?" Maya asked.

I sighed. I hated this story.

"It was like any other night at first…

(woosh woosh woosh FLASHBACK woosh woosh woosh)

I leaned back on a rock in "our spot". There was only a month left of summer and I was worried we were running out of time.

"We need a new…project."

Gill opened one of his eyes and looked over at me. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we used to do the garden but there really isn't much else to do with that. We need something else." I told him, sitting up.

Gill frowned. "Why are you so worried about doing something else?"

"You only have a month left here…" I said quietly.

Gill sat up and looked at me. "Don't think like that. I promise I'll write and call on the phone. Plus I'll be back next summer. I promise."

You never did keep any of those promises Gill…

"But I'm just…gonna miss you. You're my best friend." I said slowly.

Suddenly something happened that never happened before. Gill was hugging me. He was naturally a cold person. He had a heart of gold if you could ever dig it out of the ice.

But he wasn't exactly the type to show much affection to his friends, so I was still very surprised.

I hugged him back and closed my eyes, trying to hang onto this for as long as I possibly could.

He eventually let go although I refused to take my arms back. He just leaned back and looked at me. "You shouldn't be so dependant on me."

I smacked the back of his head and laughed. "You shouldn't be so full of yourself."

I looked up at his eyes and was frozen in the spot. His eyes always found a way to pierce me.

Before I knew it, my lips were touching his. He kissed me back for a moment, at least I thought he had.

He quickly pushed me away though and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Gill, I'm- I'm-"

But he never listened to me. He just ran off. I followed him. I followed him all the way to his house.

"Gill, this is stupid. This doesn't change anything! Gill, please!"

He just slammed his door in my face.

(woosh woosh woosh ENDFLASHBACK woosh woosh woosh)

"A few days later he left. I confronted him before he left but he ignored me and just ran off again. He never answered me. A week after that I met my mother's new boyfriend, Tyler. He convinced me it would be better if me and my mother moved to the city. I hadn't wanted to leave the ranch but I listened to Tyler and just left to get away from the memories. A year later I decided to come here." I finished.

Anissa looked at me with sad eyes and Maya for once had nothing to say.

I looked down at the food in my plate. I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

"Does it…still hurt as much?" Maya asked slowly.

"Just as much as it did that day."

Anissa put a hand on my shoulder. "He shouldn't have done that. He should have given you an explanation. He was in the wrong Akari. Maybe it's better you never see him again."

I covered my face. "That's just it. I do see him."

Maya tilted her head. "Does he live here?"

I nodded.

"Who is it?" Anissa asked quickly.

"Gill."

**Yay updates! Again sorry it took so long. I feel like this is the same thing I said last time but, ugh, I suck. Review please, and hopefully now that it's summer I'll update more. :D**


	4. New Strategy

**D: I can not believe that it's been a year since I last updated. It does not feel that way at all. I'm ashamed of myself. I'm so sorry. It was recently brought to my attention that this story has been here waiting for me and I've been neglecting it horribly. I promised that any chapters I'd be writing next would be for this story so here we are. I know most of you probably forgot about this story buuuut lets continue it, shall we? First, reviews!**

**00Spirited Away00 - Thanks! I'm updating finally. D:**

**NotSoSlightlyCrazy - T_T Sorry it wasn't soon.**

**Sprite21 - Thanks! Glad that made you happy. Oh and sorry about Chase. I never focused on him in the games so I don't really know him that well. And yeah, weird dream. Foreshadowing? Who knows? :o **

**Sam - Thanks! :DD**

**Unemployed-ninja - Thanks! That makes me really happy! Not that I mind constructive criticism. **

**Tabs14 - :DDD That makes me really really really happy. Thank you! **

**BrexChase xD - lmfaoo Thanks! Sorry about the Chase thing. I can't garuntee anything about Maya and Chase but I wouldn't worry too much. The stories about Akari and Gill, not Maya and Chase. xD And yeah Gill = tool bag right now. lol**

**Inuhana - Here's the neeeeext chapter! Thanks!**

**DiscoPants - Like the name btw. And sorry about how long it took but I'm updating now! Don't worry! **

**Darka Moon - Hurrying hurrying hurrying! I'm awful with updates. D:**

**RainbowsNSmiles5 - Thanks! **

**TsukiHime-Sama678 - Thaaaanks! And if you insist! :D**

**Biddy Bu - Okay! Sorry about killing you. D:**

**Special thanks so BiddyAuthor for messaging me and reminding me that lots of people want to see another chapter up so thank her for this! :D**

**Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own a million dollar business that can own cool games like Harvest Moon. D:**

I Hate You

Chapter 4: New Strategy

I was getting a bit worried about my friend's well being after a few minutes of staring. They both had their mouths agape and hadn't said anything since my startling confession. I could feel the blush on my cheeks as they continued to stare. I felt really dumb about liking Gill with that reaction.

"Can you guys please stop staring like that?"

I reached over and pushed both of their chins up to hopefully close their mouths and at my touch they both seemed to wake up from their shocked trance.

"Gill? As in, the mayor's son?" Anissa asked slowly. I frowned but nodded in answer.

Maya smiled for a moment and nodded. "It makes sense."

"I don't follow." I said slowly.

"Well Gill came back half way through the summer before last and he's been really different ever since."

"You know you're right! I forgot how he used to be. Everyone tried to figure out what happened but he wouldn't tell anyone!" Anissa agreed quickly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked impatiently.

Anissa smiled widely. "Gill used to be a really nice guy. He was kind of rude and cold on the outside but he'd always help if anyone needed him and if you had the time to actually talk to him, he was really nice. But after he came back his cold and rude behavior kind of just took over. I always thought he acted that way because he was shy so he hid behind the snide remarks and quiet ignoring but now that's all he does. Even if you talk to him it doesn't change much anymore. He barely talks to anyone and he doesn't really have any friends anymore." She finished sadly.

"Remember how close he used to be with Luna?" Maya chimed in. Anissa nodded sadly and Maya explained. "I don't think you've met her yet but Luna works for her grandmother at the Tailor Shop. Now Luna and Gill used to be _best _friends. They were closer then anyone I've ever known! They were almost always together and if you saw one without the other it was a strange site. But then when Gill got back, he just starting ignoring Luna a lot. She used to be really upset all the time but I think she got over it a bit. They don't really talk anymore, not that Luna doesn't still try. It's really sad." Maya said with a frown.

I frowned in thought. He was upset? It couldn't have anything to do with me since he had left me before he even had to. And now I felt for this girl, Luna, who apparently understood what I was going through pretty well. I was really confused about what they were telling me though and decided it'd be easier to disregard it completely.

"Well I don't know what that's about but I can assure you that it has nothing to do with me. I didn't hurt him so there's no reason why he could be upset or angry at me. I didn't do anything to him. He has no right to be upset or angry. He has no right to hate me since-" I stopped and looked over at Maya and Anissa who looked a bit worried about my rambling. "I think I'm gonna find this Luna. I wanna meet her and maybe we can…I don't know, relate. Are you guys done eating? If not feel free to stay. My door is unlocked so you can stick the blanket in there, and the basket if you don't wanna lug it back to the inn. I'll meet up with you guys later."

With that I stood up and started to walk towards Waffle Town. I needed to go to the beach and clear my head a bit. Plus as much as I liked Anissa and Maya I had to get away from their pitying looks and talking about Gill. The truth was, I didn't like that they were making Gill out to be some good guy who is sad all the time. I felt like they were excusing what he had done because he had been down. I didn't want to look at him as a sad boy. I wanted to be angry at him and I wanted to hate him. It was hard to do when they kept talking about how depressed he was all the time.

"They don't even know how depressed I was…" I said bitterly under my breath as I finally made it to the beach. It was afternoon now and the sun was slowly sinking. It wasn't setting quite yet but it would be in another hour's time. I could stay here until then before returning home. Anissa and Maya would be gone by then so I'd be safe to go back.

The beach wasn't as empty as it usually was though. A girl with long, pale blue hair was standing a few yards away. She had her hair up in two big braids and her eyes were a midnight blue. She had on a long, blue plaid skirt and a blue sweater. She looked out at the sea wistfully as if in her own world. I walked over to her and when I was a few feet away I called out to her. "Hi."

She looked over at me quickly, as if startled. I walked up to her and smiled, hoping to dismantle the seemingly large wall between us.

"Uh…hello." She said in barely a whisper. I smiled as her shyness and continued.

"I'm Akari. I just moved here to start a ranch." I told her, hoping to crack the wall she seemed to be putting up.

"I'm Candace…I work over at the Tailor Shop with my grandmother and my sister." She said slowly, as if she was afraid to give away such information.

"Wait, your Luna's sister?" I asked quickly, excitement filling me a bit. Honestly, I did want to meet Luna but not really to relate. I actually wanted to learn more about Gill's life and what she knew about the change that had come over him. It wasn't really a smart idea since I was suppose to be getting over him and hating him, but my curiosity got the better of me.

Candace looked at me thoughtfully for a moment and I could feel the wall dissolve a bit. "You know Luna?"

"Uhh, actually no. I've just heard a lot about her already."

The wall seemed to strengthen again. "Good things…?"

"Yes, yes of course!" I said quickly.

"I-I could introduce you to her…" She said slowly, as if unsure.

I smiled reassuringly at her. "That'd be nice. Is you grandmother home too? I'd love to meet your family." I told her. It seemed that I had finally said the right thing because she smiled and said "Come with me."

I followed her into Town and into a small building with a sign that read 'Tailor Shop' on the outside. We walked inside and I was met with a big showroom full of different kinds of clothes and accessories scattered about the room. Behind the counter an older women was sitting on a stool next to a sewing machine, busy at work. She had her white hair neatly under a pink bandana and a pair of big round glasses on her face. Her blue eyes were focused on her work but when the bell on the door jingled she looked up with a warm smile on her face.

"Oh hello Candace. And who is this?" She asked looking over in my direction.

"Grandma, this is Akari. She just moved here…and this is my Grandma Shelly." Candace explained quietly. I could barely hear her and I was standing right next to her. How Shelly managed to hear her I'll never know.

"Oh it's nice to meet you Akari. Have you met my other granddaughter yet?" She asked kindly.

"No, not yet." I told her.

"Oh Luna! Come out and meet the newest addition to Waffle Island!" She called gently.

A girl came out of the back room and for a moment I thought I was looking at the wrong person. The girl looked like she could've been twelve years old, or maybe even younger. She had bright pink hair that was curled out to her sides with flowers in it and she had on a pink frilly dress with pink sneakers and high socks on. She had the same blue eye as her sister but apart from that, they were complete opposites. For a moment I thought there were three sister, Luna, Candace, and this little girl, but when she came out Shelly smiled and gestured towards me.

"Akari, this is Luna." She looked over at Luna. "And this is Akari, the new rancher."

I began to smile and was going to say hello when Luna's eyes met mine. Luna glared across the room at me and my smile slowly melted. The hello got stuck in my throat and I could only stand there in complete confusion.

"Nice to meet you." Her tone suggested the exact opposite however.

"L-Likewise." I managed to stutter. I was so confused about what was happening that I looked over at Candace perhaps for some support. Candace was looking at her sister in confusion while Shelly had gone back to her work and hadn't noticed anything. "I think I should get home…it's kind of late. It was nice meeting all of you." Escape seemed like my best plan so I turned to leave.

When I made it outside I saw that the sun was finally setting and it was best if I just went home. I was so confused at what had just happened that I could only hope it had nothing to do with Gill. She couldn't hate me because of Gill, because I hadn't done anything to Gill.

I felt a tap on my back and jumped as I whipped around to see who was touching me. And there she stood, still glaring.

I sighed. "What is it Luna?"

"Why did you come here? Are you following him?"

My anger over took me at these words. "I wasn't following him! I had no idea he was even here! How do you even know who I am anyway?" I yelled. I knew that Gill must of told her but my anger was getting the better of me and I wanted to know just how much she knew.

"Gill told me of course. We are best friends after all." She said matter-of-factly.

I snorted. "That's weird, I heard that he ignores you now and you chase him around like a sad puppy."

Luna's face was slowly starting to match her hair. "Yeah well he came back to me didn't he! He's here isn't he?" My heart sank in my chest as her words hit me hard. "Maybe you should just go back to wherever you came from!"

"What's going on?"

We both turned quickly to see none other than Gill standing before us with a confused and almost angry expression.

Words clogged my throat and I looked down. I was standing here, arguing with this girl I only just met, about Gill. My checks flushed in embarrassment as I yet again let my emotions get the best of me.

"I should go home." I said slowly as I began to walk away.

"It's okay Gill, we were just having a disagreement and-"

"No! You shouldn't be talking to her like that. You only just met her and you're so ready to start a fight. Akari! Come back!"

I walked faster and turned towards the Caramel River District. I had to get away from him. I couldn't take his mood swings and seeing him stick up for me only hurt more. He must have told Luna everything that had happened. That stung a bit since apparently he had told Luna about how he had left me there too. I hadn't expected anyone to know my story in this new place before I even got here. He must have told Luna how pathetic I had been.

I followed the path and eventually I ended up in the Ganache Mine District. I must have followed the path towards the spot the big root had been blocking because I was right near the Carpenter's. I turned towards the Praline Woods and decided to sit on a large rock there. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. I didn't want to think about Gill for once. I wanted it to be over and done with because I was just so tired.

"That's it. From here on out, I'm done." I told myself. I wouldn't allow myself to think about him. I wouldn't allow anyone to talk to me about him unless it was just in conversation. I would say hi to him when I saw him and that was it. We would be mutual acquaintances whether he wanted to be or not.

"Are you talking to yourself?"

I jumped off the rock in shock and saw Luke standing there with an axe in his hands. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to fall out of my chest.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" He asked, looking worried.

"No, it's okay. Just startled me a bit. Uh, yeah, I was kinda talking to myself. You won't tell anyone will you?" I asked him, a small smile on my face.

He smiled. "Your secret's safe with me."

I smiled back at him and suddenly my stomach roared in protest. I blushed a bit as Luke simply laughed at me.

"Hungry?" He asked.

I smiled weakly. "I forgot to eat dinner."

He frowned. "That's not good. I know you wanna work hard but never forget to eat. You could hurt yourself. Hold on, wait here." He ran to the Carpenter's quickly and I waited as I was instructed. He came back quickly with a plate in his hands.

"It isn't much but my dad made some sandwiches for dinner. Go ahead, have some." I smiled at his kindness and took a half of one. He took another half and sat down on the rock I had been sitting on before. He patted the spot next to him and I sat down.

"Thanks for this. I don't know how to repay you though." I said weakly.

"It's really no problem. Let's just say you owe me some food some time." He said with a wink and took another bite of his sandwich.

I smiled. "Deal."

We ate the whole plate of sandwiches together just talking about nothing or simply not saying anything at all. It was nice that he wasn't asking questions or trying to figure out what I was doing before he had come up to me. He simply just wanted to help me and it made me feel a lot better. It was a nice change from everyone else and I felt comfortable with him, even if I didn't really know him that well.

"Well I should probably get home since it's pretty late." I told him.

He smiled and nodded. "We should do this again sometime." He suggested.

I nodded. "We should. And next time I'll provide the food." I stood as he laughed and turned back towards him. "Thanks again though."

He waved a hand. "It was really no big deal."

I smiled. "Okay. See you later."

"Yeah, see you soon."

I turned towards the exit he had cleared away earlier that day and as I walked through it I could hear him say "Boy am I glad I cleared away that root."

"Who's talking to themselves now?" I called and I could hear him laugh as I made it to my house.

I opened the door and stepped inside before collapsing on my bed. I realized then that I'd be just fine. My new strategy would work out fine as long as I steered clear of Gill and Luna. I'd explain to Maya and Anissa tomorrow that I no longer cared about Gill and in time I would get over him. I knew I could.

I just wasn't quite sure if I wanted to.

**Okay! Finally updating! Please don't get too worried about the Akari/Luke stuff. Let's remember what this story is about after all. I need to spice it up somehow though, don't I? Well review, tell me what you think. Sorry it's been so long. T_T**


	5. Moonlight Festival

**So this update is horribly late. I'm very sorry about that. I'm convinced that me updating on time is a lost cause. Instead of answering all my reviews I think I'm gonna just comment on the main point or any questions asked. Makes it easier for me.**

**So thanks for the comments everyone. I'm glad you like the little Luke spice in there. I like to add a little fun to my fics. Yippee. Let's get to the story now. :D**

**Disclaimer: Owns the game but not the rights to Harvest Moon. Sadface.**

I Hate You

Chapter 5: Moonlight Festival

The next day I woke up in better spirits then I had so far on Waffle Island. My new plan had to work. If I stuck to it, it would all be okay. That's what I kept telling myself.

I got up and went outside to water my crops. After finishing, I was pretty tired but I decided to pay Anissa a visit and maybe stop by to see Maya to let them both know about how much I didn't care about Gill.

I made it to Anissa's quickly and walked inside to get out of the rain. Craig was inside the storeroom by himself today. I looked around and was disappointed that it was empty. In the time I'd been here, Craig had only managed to grunt at me. Having a conversation with him seemed like it would be a bit on the awkward side.

He glanced up at me and frowned. "Do you need something?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"Hi, uh, I was just wondering if Anissa was here." I said quickly, trying to get out of his hair as quickly as possible.

"She left. Something about going to see Kathy and Renee."

I frowned. "Who's Kathy…?"

Craig let out an annoyed sigh. "Kathy. Blond hair, bartends, loves horses. Renee. Brown hair, works at her parents ranch. If you leave here and keep going down the path you'll get there." He looked back down at his work, probably hoping I'd just leave him alone and go find his daughter.

"Thank you. Sorry to bother you." I quickly retreated to give the man his peace.

As I stepped outside I saw Ruth coming towards Souffle Farm with a bag of groceries.

"Hello Ruth." I called.

"Oh dear, did you just go into the store? I do hate leaving Craig here to watch it. He's not very good with the customers… I hope he was able to help you and wasn't too rude."

I smiled. "Oh no, he helped me. I was just looking for Anissa and he told me exactly where she was."

She smiled lightly. "Oh that's good to here. Well goodbye dear."

I smiled and waved as I headed down the path towards the ranch. A large sign told me it was called Brownie Ranch. Kind of made me hungry.

I walked onto the ranch and looked around. It was a beautiful ranch. Large pastures, lush green hills, a large tree allowing shade, and a track around the barns and chicken coops.

Only problem I had was that I only saw animals on the ranch and no people. I frowned and began to walk towards the farm house, hoping to find a human in there.

As I began to cross over the dirt track that surrounded the farm buildings, I could hear a loud rumbling sound coming from my side.

"Watch out!" I hear someone yell.

I looked up to see a blond haired girl on a horse coming right for me.

I dived out of the way as she sped passed me. How I had missed her on the track, I have no idea, but after she passed I picked myself up off the ground and dusted off my clothes. She circled back towards me and stopped her horse a few feet away. She jumped off and ran towards me.

"Oh my god, are you okay? I didn't see you until the last minute, I'm so sorry!"

I smiled at her frantic expression and held up my hands. "It's really okay. I'm fine. I should've seen the girl on the 2000 pound animal before you should've seen me stupidly walking on the track."

She shook her head with a light smile on lips and finally really looked at me with her deep green eyes. I finally got a good look at her as well. She was a very pretty girl and I could definitely see how she could be a bartender. She definitely had that way about her. She had her long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, out of her face. She had on a small shirt and little jacket that showed her stomach with a mini skirt to match. She had on some tall cowboy boots as well.

I thought to hold out my hand and introduce myself. "I'm Akari."

"I'm Kathy." She said with a smile.

"That's a beautiful horse your riding." I said, looking over at the animal a few feet away.

She smiled and walked towards the horse with a hand out to pet him. "Thanks. I've had him for years. His name in Star and I keep him here at the ranch with Renee. She takes great care of him. I like to come by and give him some good exercise when I can."

I smiled. "I should get myself a horse to take care of on my ranch." I thought aloud.

"Oh you should!" she yelled. "Horses are the most amazing animals!"

I nodded and seriously considered getting a foul after I sell all my spring crops this season.

"So I actually came here looking for Anissa. I was told she was here? Is she still here?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, she's in the house with Renee. I was with them for a bit but I came out here really quick to see Star. You can go on in if you want. I think I'll come in too in a bit. Just gonna get Star grazing and maybe give him a bath." She said thoughtfully.

I smiled. "Okay, I'll see you in there."

I walked to the farm house quickly and stepped inside.

"Oh hi Akari!"

I smiled at Anissa's greeting. "Hi Anissa."

"Oh Akari, this is Renee! She said she hasn't had a chance to meet you yet!"

I looked over next to Anissa to see a pretty girl with short brown hair, brown eyes and a long yellow dress on.

"Hi." I said sweetly, with a smile.

Renee got up and ran over to where I was standing with Anissa following behind. "Hi Akari! I've heard so much about you! It's nice to finally meet you."

I had to smile at how nice this girl was. Why was everyone here with extremely nice, extremely rude, or a bit odd?

"Come and sit down with us. We were just talking about the Moonlight Festival." She said brightly.

I frowned. "Festival?"

Anissa smiled. "Oh, this will be your first festival! Hmm, although it might not be a very good one for us."

I frowned. "Do explain please."

"Well you see, the Moonlight Festival is kind of a romantic festival that people take dates too. And I know with you and your situation with G-"

"I'm gonna cut you off right there. I want you to know that I have a new strategy when it comes to that and we are no longer going to talk about him or anything like that. I'm going to just go on and live my life, that's all."

Anissa nodded thoughtfully and after a moment smiled. "That sounds like a good idea."

Renee frowned in confusion. "I think I'm a bit lost…"

I hadn't planned on telling anyone else the story about me and Gill since my whole plan involved not talking or thinking about him in that way, but I felt bad leaving Renee out of the loop like that.

I explained to her that I had known Gill before moving here and that I had had my heart broken by him. I explained how I had no idea he was here when I moved here but that I was just going to go on like it wasn't a big deal because I liked it here and didn't want to be sad about it anymore.

She nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea."

"What sounds like a good idea?" Kathy said as she walked into the room.

I frowned as I realized I was going to have to tell the story once again if I didn't want to be rude. I proceeded to explain to Kathy what I had just explained to Renee.

"Hmm, you should do some tests to understand just how he feels about you." She said thoughtfully.

"Tests?" Anissa asked quietly.

"Yes! Like you should do a jealousy test!"

"How do you do that?" Anissa asked curiously.

"Well you have to be with another guy while he's around. Depending on how he acts, lets you know how he feels. If he doesn't care, well, then he doesn't care. If he gets sad then he still likes you but he's not going to do anything about it. But if he gets angry, well then, he loves you."

"Woah! I don't want to know! I don't care! I'm trying to get over him! I don't want to do any tests or anything!" I finally cut in.

"You suuuure?" Kathy asked. I nodded quickly.

"Yes, yes. No tests. I don't want to have anything to do with him. We're just going to be acquaintances from here on out and that's all."

"Alright, alright. No tests." Kathy agreed, holding up her hands.

Searching for any way out of this topic, I decided to change the subject. "So about this Moonlight Festival, any of you going?"

Renee and Kathy smiled and nodded, while Anissa stayed silent and looked at the floor.

"Anissa." I began slowly. "You should go too."

Anissa blushed and shook her head. "No way! There's no way that Jin would ever ask me to go with him."

Kathy and Renee exchanged knowing smiles and sighed.

"You should just ask him to go with you then!" I told her.

"No way! I'm not going to ask him!"

I looked over at Renee and Kathy for some support. "There's nothing wrong with a girl asking a guy out. Did either of you ask anyone to go?"

Renee shook her head. "No, Tobi asked me to go. But even so, Akari is right! There's absolutely nothing wrong with asking Jin." She reassured her.

Kathy also frowned. "Yeah, Owen asked me. But that doesn't mean you can't ask a guy! Jin is so shy, I doubt he'd ever be able to ask a girl out the right way! You need to take charge!" She told her nodding.

Anissa let out a deep sigh. "Just forget it…I'm never going to be able to ask him out. Until I know of a girl asking one of the guys around here to the festival, I just can't do it."

I smiled. I had a plan. "Oh? So if you hear of a girl asking a guy to this festival successfully, you'll ask him then?" I asked her, a smile grazing my lips slightly.

"Sure, I guess so. I haven't heard of anyone doing that though."

My smile widened. "I'll be right back."

I ran out of the house without another word, back to the Ganache Mine District. I ran into the Carpenter's and found Luke sitting at a table drawing on some blueprints.

"Hi, can I help you?" He said distractedly, without looking up.

"Actually, you can." I smiled as he looked up with a big grin on his face upon hearing my voice.

"Akari! I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Didn't get enough of me last night?" He teased, raising his eyebrows.

I laughed. "I actually came to ask for a favor."

"First I supply you with a healthy dose of adrenaline by flinging a piece of wood at your face, then I clear away that root for you and I so kindly feed you sandwiches, and now you want a favor? You ask too much of me." He smiled and shook his head jokingly. "I'm just kidding. What do you need?"

I smiled. "Well I'm trying to prove a point and help out a friend. You see my friend wants to go to this Moonlight Festival coming up and she seems to believe that she cannot go unless this guy she likes asks her, instead of her asking him. She agreed that if she saw a successful girl asking a guy to this festival, that she would ask this guy to go. She doesn't know me and how far I'm willing to go to help her though. You see, this is where you come in. I need you to come with me to Alan's Tree and I'm going to 'ask you' to this festival. Honestly you don't even have to say yes to me, but as long as I ask, she can't argue with that. I successfully will have asked. So what do you say, want to help my friend out?"

He frowned taking it all in. "Seems complicated to me. But sure, I'll go along with your plans." He agreed, smiling.

I smiled. "Thank you so much! I promise I'll make all this up to you." I laughed and we then returned to Brownie Ranch and he went to wait under Alan's Tree while I went to get Anissa.

"Anissa!" I yelled as I came into the farm house.

"Where'd you run off to?" She asked.

"I came to help you out. You asked to see a girl ask a guy out successfully, and I am not delivering. Come to Alan's Tree if you guys want to watch, but I'll be there asking a boy out."

"Wait what!?" Anissa sounded a bit panicked, probably realizing her position in this deal and knowing what she'd have to do. "Akari, you really don't have to do this. I'm serious. I know you don't want to ask anyone out. It's fine!"

But at that point I was already on my way to the door, heading back to Luke who was sitting in the grass under the large tree on the highest hill on the ranch.

The others stayed by the barn with the animals, watching from afar while I climbed the hill to meet Luke at the top. He stood when he saw me approaching and leaned his back against the tree.

"Hey there Akari." He said with a teasing smirk.

I laughed a bit with my back to everyone else down the hill.

"Alright." I said loudly, hoping they would be able to hear me down the hill. "So I asked you to meet me here Luke, because I was wondering if you'd like to go to the Moonlight Festival with me."

Luke's smile widened and he cleared his throat. "I'd love to go with you, Akari. I think we'll have a great night together." He added a wink at the end and I personally thought it was a little over the top but I shrugged. I told him he didn't actually have to say yes and I didn't expect him to go with me or anything. But I smiled and continued the show. "That's great to hear. I'll see you around."

At that I went down the hill and joined the others with a smile. "Well you heard it yourself, didn't you? Looks like you'll be asking Jin to the festival now, huh?"

Anissa frowned and looked down at the ground in panic as I laughed with Renee and Kathy.

Out of the corner of my eyes I caught two people standing in front of the farm house. At closer inspection I saw it was a tall and older man standing with a young boy with icy blue eyes…

I looked away quickly. What was Gill doing here?

Renee noticed me looking and frowned. "Oh, I forgot he was here. He came while you were out to fix one of our pipes. He usually does that kind of stuff for the mayor when people ask for help." She explained.

I nodded slowly and noticed Kathy smiling.

"He's angry." She said slowly.

"What?" I looked back over at Gill and saw that he was glaring. But for once it wasn't at me, he was glaring up the hill at Luke, who had just gotten up and was heading for the Ganache Mines now.

Now I was very confused.

Kathy smiled. "You know what anger means, right?"

"Shhh!" I didn't want to think about that. I didn't want to have anything to do with him. He kept doing this. He kept ruining all my plans and I wouldn't let it happen again. At first I wanted to be angry and hate him, then he was defending me with Luna. And then I wanted to act like he was just someone I didn't know well, and now he goes and does this.

His gaze moved over to me once Luke was gone. When he saw me staring though, he turned and stomped off.

Anissa, Renee, and Kathy all smiled at me but I shook my head and told them I had to go. I couldn't take all their stares and giggling. I told Anissa I'd be back for her late tonight to go see Jin though. That seemed to shut her up easily.

As I entered the Ganache Mine District I decided to pay Luke a visit and thank him for doing that for me. This time I spotting him in the forest chopping wood.

"Cease fire!" I yelled before walking closer to him.

He looked up and smiled before putting his axe down and raising his hands. "Of course!"

I laughed and came closer. "I just wanted to come by and thank you for doing me that favor. Helped my friend out a lot."

He smiled. "Anytime. But you know, you owe me now."

I laughed. "And what exactly do I owe you?"

His smile widened. "You just have to do me a favor now."

"Sure, what is it?"

"You'll have to go to the Moonlight Festival with me. I mean, you did ask after all."

I could feel my face turning red. Was Luke actually asking me out on a date? I hadn't really thought about going to the festival with him. Nor had I thought about even liking Luke like that. I realized after a moment I hadn't answered him in my stunned silence.

"Oh come on, you owe me one, remember? Just come with me to the festival. You won't regret it." He looked at me with a questioning expression and I could see the hope in his amber colored eyes.

Luke was one of my closest friends here even if we had only become actual friends the day before. I really liked talking to Luke and hanging around him. It couldn't hurt to go on a date with him. Maybe I would really like him. Maybe I would get over Gill.

Or maybe I would make Gill more jealous…

_You are a horrible person Akari._ I thought to myself. What was I thinking? That was horrible. _It was just a passing thought, _I told myself, _I didn't mean it._

In the end I smiled and looked up at Luke. "Yeah okay. I'll go with you. It's the least I can do right?"

He smiled widely. "You won't regret it! I promise!"

**Woah man. Woah. So, I know that there is no Moonlight Festival, but you know, there was just no good date festivals in the Spring that I liked so whatever. I do what I want. Lol Hope you enjoyed, sorry it's been forever. I'm in college now and things are kind of crazy. I have no time on my hands to write. Alas, that is no excuse and I do apologize. Hope you enjoyed this one. :3**


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